An Open Letter To 2020
Annesha Dutta
Editorial, Content & Communications | Executive Ghostwriter I LinkedIn Creator | TEDx Speaker
Dear 2020..... I still remember starting off 1st Jan with all the regular resolutions - the ones no one ends up keeping. Exercise more; eat healthier; lose weight; write a book; go to Ladakh; be more productive; keep a cleaner home. Sure, something was happening in China and some people were a little worried about some COVID thing. But what did that have anything to do with us? Or so we thought, as we continued looking for budget flights and AirBnb’s.
Boy, were you laughing at all our plans! March shattered all our illusions and plans. We went into 'stay at home' mode for the next 9 months.
As I write to you, we are still very much staying in. Also, those masks we wore to avoid dust and pollution, now we are wearing it even to take out the trash. We are actually searching for masks coordinated to our costumes.
In short, 2020, you turned our lives upside down. We started the year with protests and marches and we end the year with the same, albeit a different fight. What will happen next year? Who knows? As the year ends and we step into 2021 with hopes of a vaccine reaching us, this is what I am thankful for.
2020, thank you for taking us back to basics. We all had absolutely no idea how out of sync we had become in the mad rush of our lives, commutes, careers and social media. Yes, nature healed and flourished as we stayed in but we healed as well. We all started calling the most important people in our lives. Our parents. We learnt to exercise the atma nirbhar way - 'jhaadu pocha bartan' and bringing back groceries from the nearest local store. This brought in new-found appreciation and gratitude for the amazing people who work as house helps and deliver our essentials to our doorstep. Hats off to their service!
Staying in helped us turn the lens inward. We got to see the transient nature of jobs. The ones for which we disconnected all those calls from family and friends. We all learnt how to cook beyond Maggi and boiled eggs. We learnt how to reignite the artists and the performers in us. We gossiped and relived memories with long lost school and college friends, distanced by geography, united by virtual apps. We understood the value of staycations and cherished our homes.
2020, you levelled us up. You forced us all to be equal and be treated equally - inside the home and at the workplace. No policies, laws or activism has been able to force our hand into establishing gender equality and sharing the load of housework.
You helped me, an introvert, appreciate companionship and the value of ‘going out’ sometimes. While also thanking God several times a day for the beauty that is ‘Work From Home'. Bye-bye, awkward small talk.
You also helped us rethink our careers and what work means to us and the future of work. How geography need not limit us in our career commitments. On the other hand, the power of virtual team connects and how much can be done differently even from different locations and time zones, with just a laptop and good internet connectivity. You gave us the space to learn anew and pause and reflect - take a step back so we could all collectively take many leaps ahead.
2020 - before you arrived, people kept saying they needed a break. You literally were the break that we were forced to take. And it does feel good to go back to a new normal. Bring it on, 2021! With masks on, till the vaccine arrives.
Cheers to all of us for trying our best in a worst-case scenario. See you on the other side!
About The Author:
In this case, me. Hi, I am Annesha - Writer and YouTube creator. You can follow my videos here - AskAnnie.
I ?? Entrepreneurs. Let’s work together.
4 年Annesha Dutta that's a real letter. We're all going through different levels of 2020's effects. This year did bring me closer to myself, reflecting more than anything else. Bless up and condolences to everyone who lost someone. My best friend lost her father and a nephew. I feel her sadness, she's still going through it. Her mom doesn't even feel like it's Christmas. How does someone reconcile with the loss of family they've been with for decades because covid-19 was stamped on their death certificate. I know not every one is fully healed from who they're missing yet. I do feel fortunate my family's all here. There were moments I was really fearful. Mom works at a hospital. My brother from another mother lost an aunt and two nieces. This year tore alot of us into pieces. Had us all facing ourselves, realising what's really important. Pausing for a minute to figure out how we move forward. 2021 is just a tad bit more special than New Year's Eve, it's a 2020 reprieve. Things got so un-normal, we're talking new normal now. Way more people lost, I'm glad at least some people won. I really do feel like almost everyone I know got a bit more real with themselves. If nothing else, that's a beautiful thing. Bless.
Assistant Manager(HR)at Aranca||Ex EY, Deloitte||MSc Human Resource Management, Trinity College Dublin||Professional Numerologist
4 年Very well articulated Annesha ! I resonate with all the pointers you mentioned in your write up. 2020 will be the year to remember. While it turned our lives up side town in an unfavorable manner yet this year has also been a blessing in disguise for some if not all.
A compassionate Registered nurse with BSC
4 年I'm thankful that many souls were lost as a result of covid-19, many businesses gone to the dust and many dreams of traveling shutterd but here we are in December to remember how far God has brought us. Let's continue with this good spirits for 2021 knowing that things will get better someday. Cheers to us who stayed strong through the lost days and painful periods.
Crypto Currency trader and hodler alongwith fully active in Attraction Marketing!!
4 年Awesome??????
Facilitator at Capgemini ASE | Certified facilitator of LEGO? SERIOUS PLAY? method and materials | Certified Design Thinking Specialist
4 年Annesha Dutta - a real refreshing read right up in the morning !